Thanksgiving Cranberry Cheese Pie Food

CRANBERRY CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°F. Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook cranberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until some have begun to split and burst, 6-8 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid. Remove from heat and let cool (if you're in a rush, transferring to a baking sheet or medium bowl will help them cool faster).
• Combine sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub zest into sugar until moist and fragrant. Whisk in cornmeal and flour, then add eggs and vigorously whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds, Whisk in cream, butter, and vanilla, then add lemon juice and whisk again. Set a few cranberries aside for the top. Gently fold in remaining cranberries with a rubber spatula, breaking up any clumps.
• Gently pour mixture into pie crust and dot reserved cranberries over top of custard (this makes for the most photo-worthy dessert). Bake pie until top is golden brown and set but custard still jiggles in the center (about a 3" radius), 60-70 minutes. If your pie isn't as brown as you'd like it, you can increase oven temperature to 350°F for the last 5-10 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool (custard will fall as it cools). Transfer pie to the fridge and chill at least 1 hour.
• Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar if using. For the cleanest slices, cut with a hot dry knife (just like if you were cutting cheesecake).
• Do ahead: Pie can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Return to room temperature to serve if you'd like.

THANKSGIVING CRANBERRY CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Graham Cracker and Nut Crust:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a medium mixing bowl, place all the ingredients and blend thoroughly.
• Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 10-inch pie pan.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 10 min.
• Let cool before filling.
• Cheese Pie Filling:
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light. Add the eggs, 1 at a time.
• Add the sugar, zest and juice of the orange, vanilla and brandy. Beat until fluffy.
• Incorporate the sour cream into the mixture.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and bake for 40 min. or until the center is firm. Leave the pie in the oven with the door slightly open to cool completely.
• Refrigerate while you make the topping.
• Cranberry Topping:
• In a medium saucepan, stir all the ingredients together and cook until the sugar dissolves and the berries begin to pop open, about 15 min. Drain excess liquid, if any.
• Turn off the heat and let the cranberry sauce cool completely.
• Decorate the cheese pie with the cranberry topping and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve any extra topping on the side.

CRANBERRY CRUMB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bake unbaked pie crust in the preheated oven 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in sweetened condensed milk until the mixture is smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Transfer to the pie crust.
• In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon light brown sugar and cornstarch. Mix in whole berry cranberry sauce. Spoon the mixture evenly over the cream cheese mixture.
• In a medium bowl, mix butter, all-purpose flour and remaining light brown sugar until crumbly. Stir in the walnuts. Sprinkle evenly over the cranberry mixture.
• Bake 45 minutes in the 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned. Cool on a metal rack. Serve at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator.

CRANBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients, then add to pie crust. Add top crust and prick with fork. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and bake pie 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 40 minutes more.